Connecting-rod-bearing wrench



Aug. 31 1926.

F. WERMES CONNECTING ROD BEARING WRENCH Filed June 25 1923 Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

UNITED STATES FRANK WERMES, OF AURORA, ILLINOTS.

CONNECTING-ROD-BEARIITG WRENCH.

Application filed June 25, 1923. Serial No. 647,450.

This invention relates to improvements in connecting rod bearing wrenches, and con sists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient wrench by means of which the fourth connecting rod bearing of a Ford automobile engine, may be quickly tightened up by working upon the same through the inspection opening in the crank case bottom.

' A further object of the invention is to so pivotally connect the socket head and the handle bar of the wrench, that the socket head is capable of a limited swinging movement on the handle bar from a position substantially at a right angle thereto, to a position less than an angle of 90 therefrom, so that the socket may be more easily applied to the otherwise almost inaccessible nuts on the hearing, from outside the inspection opening of the crank case.

These objects of the invention as well as the advantages of the improved wrench will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a view of a Ford engine, partly in elevation and partly in section and illustrates the application of my improved wrench to the nuts of the fourth connecting rod bearing thereof.

Fig. 2 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section, on an enlarged scale, of my improved connecting 'rod bearing wrench.

Fig. 3 is a View of the parts shown at the left hand end of Fig. 2 with said parts shown in changed relation.

Fig. t is a top plan view of the improved Wrench.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale as taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The engine of a Ford automobile, by reason of its compact design, often presents diiliculties to'the garage man and mechanics in making repairs thereon, which are almost insurmountable unless the engine is dismantled or taken down. One of the most clifficu'lt jobs in making repairs and adjustments on such an engine without dismantling the same, is the tightening up of the connecting rod bearings and especially the connecting rod bearing of #4: cylinder, which is quite inacpesible through the inspection opening plied, when it is desired to take a new hold or bight upon said nuts. Many ingenious devices have been designed to meet the con-- ditions of inaccessibility but they have failed for one reason or other.

The wrench of the present invention is especially adapted for use in tightening up #4 connecting rod bearing of a Ford automobile engine by working upon the same through the inspection opening in the crank case, the parts of the wrench being so constructed with reference to the engine as to permit operation of the same from within the crank case when working on said particular bearing. It will be understood, of course, that the wrench may also be used in tight ening up the nuts on the other connecting rod bearings with equal, if not a greater facility.

The improved wrench comprises a handle bar 5 and a socket head 6 connected thereto in a manner as will later appear. The handle bar 5 is made from a relatively long, steel rod which is flattened at one end on opposite sides to provide a part 7 which exceeds in one direction the diameter of the rod, but is less than said diameter'in a direction at a right angle to the first direction. In said flattened end part 7 is provided a transverse aperture 8 arranged in the plane of the axis of the handle which is midway between, and top and bottom edges 9 and 10 of said flattened end. One corner of said flattened end part 7 is cutaway at an angle to provide an inclined shoulder or edge 11 which merges into the top edge 90f said flattened end. The other end 12 of the handle is bent upwardly in the plane of the flattened end for a purpose toappear later.

The socket head 6 is made from a relatively short cylindrical piece of steel of a diameter greater than that of the handle 5. One end (the bottom) of'said socketis bifurcated to provide a transversely extending groove 13 of a depth equal to the greater diameter of the flattened end 7 of the handle bar and is of a width corresponding to the lesser diameter of said flattened end so that said end nay be inserted into said groove between theears 14 on opposite sides thereof. 5 In said ears are provided aligned apertures which are adapted to registerwitlr the hole 8 in said flattened' 'end 7 to receive a pin 16 whichis upset at its ends in said ears. which the socket head 6 is capable 'ofa limited rocking or swinging'movement with respect to said handle froma vposition subtan t'iaily at'right angles" to the handle bar t'ofa iio'sitionlessthanQO from the first position, the I edges and? I1 together 1 with thefltopftlaiisverse wall of the groove :13 pro Vidingsto'ps to arrest the'l'iead eitherpositi'oni In the'opposite'endfof the socket head which isslightly tapered; is; provided. a hexagain recess 11"7and belowthe same is an annular recess: 17" "ofsrnaller diameter. 7

The operation of] improved wrench wheiiused upon a. #i4 connecting rodfljbearinggofarior'a ,engihefislas 'follows':1 8 lindi Gates theengine or a Ford, automobile which includes v a; crank, shaftl9 a nd connecting rods: 2Z0, 21,223and 2'3 respectively, which gonrrec tsffihe associated pistons and the crank df-said' f crank shait together. The bottom ends of the connecting rods are formed to provide half "bearin'gsand. associated therewithfa're "bearing hlocks, saidiparts be ing secured" together about the crank arms When the hear-inglparts become: worn and is desired to. take up ,or tighten said bearings, the'cover for' tfhe vinspection opening26j inithefbotto'm of the crank case is removed. The bearings of connecting rods 20,

Qland 22maybeea-sily gotten at, through opening'and by reason of the close proximity of other parts ofatliejenginej 1311i usingv my improved i tfren'ch onsaid bearing, 1 turn the crank shaft oyer, .(by means of the starting crank): solthat'the associated piston is about one" inch from its rep-most position. This swi ngsithe;hearin for the connecting rod 23, jto' one side of thenmedian, line of the enginei and likewiseswings thelbe aring -ifor the connecting, rod 2 2 ,ro the (opposite side' of.

said median line; above the inspection open aeywlneh is quite narrow; I .The' wrench isvtheir grasped by its h'andle'b ar and insemen through the r in'spe'ctionopening with the ;socket ,rdirected toward; the; bearing-"of connectin red" 23, t he' so'cket having been "th The (11s in a planeatia right "disfiir-faoe or :11,

11 engagewitlrthe'tdpK p I trans rsefgrecve IS, in; soc 1st,; as shown Figs. ,1; 3; Tliisgp rmtts the-0 w Said pin provides"the axisabout wall o fjthe ators hand to be outside the crank case so that he can position the socket fi on the nut 25, the bencend "I2 ofthdhandlbfieeliy passing the radius rods 27 which are arranged just below the crank case at this point and 3 conn'ect'tihe crank case and front axle of the automobile together.

Should'i't now be attempted to swing the handle bar 5 of the wrench to tighten up said nut, said swing would be limited by striking the sides of the i 'ispection opening so tt hat the nut could" not be turnedr the required: 609 and it would'be impossible to this position the bent up end 19, of the handle will be arranged 'iIr-a-plane between the vbeari n-gs of the connecting rods and 22 and; below the center bearing for the crank shaft, wherethere will "be room vfor the operators hand. Thejwrench;is --then swung through an are substantially without engaging. other aeen-t :parts of the engine, after which the wrenchris removediand again positioned on the- -nut so that it may "again be'turne'danother; 60; It is apparent that the: limited relative movementhetween the handle and: the socket permits the use o'f'the senseof ie'el-i-ngvsin positioningthe socket head on the nut -and also permits positioning said-head while the hand. holding the wrench is-outside of the crank case, after which it can be; swung into apos'ition wherein the'swingof the wrench is not liable to make the-socket. slip ofil the nut. By making the socket relatively short in length,this tendency toward slipping off is furthereliminated Vvhem the socket is on y the nut, the bottom; end rof the bolt 24 projectsintolthe sma llier "recess -1;7- in-the head so that thelfull depth ofthe hexagonal recess 17' engages the nut -By-.; formin the end 1 2 of thehandle as' described, it wifi freelypass theradius rods beneath theienc g1ne. V a. c I I, i

The improved wrench is simple in com struction; -(comprising only three parts)-'is efficient in; 'Q Pel &tlOI 1, I-Hdv especially meets the needs of "garage men and mechanics for an efiicient wrench, hymeans of; which #4 bea nae a ee gie "maybe :q e ly i h n *W rk nes1i he ,iii re t en g ib rr r tiene ato W e d w .eend nasue i is pd ea t --ur a he sem w en $sd ift fl e-ipem s i tenfidi ,1 'iWhiIe {d s stm s ims as referred t'c tlie sea-ages y wayi ofwiuustsqwas tion, as especially adapted for use upon a particular bearing but it is also advantageous in working upon the other bearings of said engine.

I claim as my invention A connecting rod bearing wrench, comprising a handle bar flattened at one end and having at that end a straight top edge, with one corner cut away to provide an angularly disposed edge which merges into said top edge, a short socket head having spaced ears with a groove between with a flattened base at the bottom of said groove, and a pivotpin extending transversely through said flattened end of the handle bar and said spaced ears, the base of said groove in the socket head being adapted by the location of the pivotal axis of said pin with reference thereto for selective engagement with said angularly disposed edge and top edge of the fiattened end of the handle bar selectively.

In testimony that I claim. the foregoing as my invention, I affix my signature this 20th day of June, A. D. 1923.

FRANK WERMES. 

